Situation 1
A graduate-level professional provides career counseling without required training and gives interest inventories to her clients. Even if her desire to help her clients is sincere, the lack of appropriate training forms a professional dilemma for the counselor’s colleagues, who may decide to report these incidents. Her practice may entail an incorrect evaluation of her patients’ issues, leading to poor career choices. As suggested by the Association for Assessment in Counselling (2003), the use of standardized test results requires technical knowledge to interpret the results correctly and ensure validity. The American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics (2014) obliges mental health professionals to ensure their proper qualifications before offering their clients consultations. In this case, the counselors did not have relevant training, meaning that she violated the Code of Ethics, regardless of her motivation.
From a legal standpoint, the counselor has the professional licensure to provide consultations, in general, but the lack of career development training poses ethical issues. The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) serves as a valuable reference point for her colleagues seeking consultations in this situation. It advises all mental health professionals to resolve ethical issues informally before taking actions that are more decisive. While it is possible to inform the Board on this issue, the probable course of action would be to discuss it with the counselor in an informal, one-on-one conversation. If she refuses to either obtain necessary training or abandon the idea of career consultations, her colleagues may decide to inform the State’s ethics committee. In this case, the counselor faces punishments, varying from being fined to having her license suspended. Therefore, the informal, peaceful solution seems like the most beneficial course of action.
Situation 2
A physically challenged individual has applied for a mid-level position in a fast-food chain. The person was denied an opportunity to take the company’s standardized test, as its application for people with disabilities had not been assessed. Both sides appear to have valid standpoints, as the physically challenged individual feels that there is a certain degree of discrimination involved. At the same time, the company does not want to take additional responsibility for possible outcomes of incorrect evaluation in the process of testing. If the results are unpredictable for people with disabilities, the situation may entail dire consequences for both the individual and the fast-food chain. Accordingly, a professional consultation is required to resolve the ethical. The guidelines provided by the Association for Assessment in Counseling and Education and the National Career Development Association (2010) state each counselor must be able to apply appropriate assessment instruments. As per the ACA Code of Ethics (2014), all counseling activity must be aimed at the client’s welfare. Therefore, the professional’s obligation will be to determine whether the company’s decision was correct and non-discriminatory.
First of all, it is important to determine whether there are any legal issues involved. The Americans with Disability Act (1990) guarantees physically challenged people equal employment opportunities. However, the discussed case would involve discrimination if the person were denied the job opportunity on the sole basis of their disability. If the company is ready to use another assessment instrument with confirmed validity, its actions are not discriminatory and correspond with counseling’s primary mission. While it is possible to recommend that the candidate take the same standardized test, the lack of predictive ability suggests another course of action. The counselor should select and apply another instrument, which would allow the company to evaluate the physically challenged candidate with maximum accuracy.
Conclusion
Ethical decision-making is a critical component of counseling, allowing professionals to ensure their clients’ welfare. Nevertheless, today’s complex environment poses a range of dilemmas in which the course of action may not be obvious. The most challenging aspect of a counselor’s work is to be able to consider the matter from all perspectives, using extensive ethical guidelines for reference. This way, it is possible to process the situation through the decision-making model and find a proper solution to the dilemma.
References
American Counseling Association (ACA). (2014). ACA code of ethics. Web.
Americans with Disabilities Act, Publ. L. No. 101-336, 104 Stat. 327 (1990). Web.
Association for Assessment in Counseling and Education (AACE) and the National Career Development Association (NCDA). (2010). Career Counselor Assessment and Evaluation Competencies. Web.
Association for Assessment in Counseling. (2003). Responsibilities of users of standardized tests (RUST) (3rd ed.). Web.